Oh my gods. No, this can't be happening. No, no, no! It can't be fucking possible. I stared down at the stone in my hand in disgust. It was supposed to glisten the color blue to indicate that I'll be an alpha, but instead it shone a soft pink. I wanted to hurl it across the room and the contents of my stomach on the carpet. The imperial doctor seemed stunned speechless as he looked down at the stone in my hand. "Surely, it's a mistake." He plucked it out of my hand and rubbed his gloved thumb over its surface. The stone's rosy pink color faded, turning the stone a dark charcoal. He stared at the stone for a second before handing it back to me. Within seconds, the stone turned soft pink. "Well, I'll be… He's an omega…"
The doctor flinched slightly as my mother's unamused voice cut through the air like a knife. "Surely you jest." She snapped. She had quite the sour look adorning her normally pleasant face, and she was right about one thing. This wasn't a laughing matter.
My father let out an annoyed growl, and the imperial doctor plucked the stone from my hand once again. "It doesn't matter how many times I do the test. The results are remaining the same. Your son is an omega."
"How?!" My mother snapped.
"I'm unsure… Nothing like this has ever happened before. At least it hasn't been documented." I sure the hell didn't appreciate the strange look the doctor was giving me.
My father wasn't tolerating the news well either. Apparently, he had finally had enough. He rose from his seat, towered over the imperial doctor, and let out a growl like an angry bear. "Is this a joke to you?" He snarled.
"No, sir." The doctor gulped but didn't look away from my father, which was rather impressive. I guess he really does work for the imperial family.
My father's scathing glare turned towards me, and his nose slightly rose in the air as if he was looking down at me. "What a disgrace." I clenched my teeth and dropped my gaze to the ground. It's… not my fucking fault. The doctor has to be lying… right?
"Honey!" My mother tried to call out to my father, but he stormed out of the parlor, letting the door slam behind him.
The room was uncomfortably silent for a moment before the imperial doctor started rifling through his bag. He pulled from within a stone that was already the color pink and showed it to my mother. "Would… you like to see if he's dominant, normal, or recessive?" Did he honestly think we fucking cared?! All I wanted was for him to be removed from the estate grounds. He's nothing but a liar!
My mother had quite the frown as she glanced over at me, then at the doctor. She nodded her head and looked away as if these results would be more offensive than the first. The doctor passed me the stone, and the moment its cold surface touched my palm, I flinched. The stone not only started to glow but also became warm in my palm. I wasn't expecting it to react any differently than the first stupid rock.
"Two surprises in one day." The imperial doctor reached forward and took the strange rock back. "Not only are you an omega, but you're a dominant one to boot…" He gave me a rather disturbing look before turning back towards his bag. "How wonderful." He muttered.
"There's nothing fucking wonderful about it!" I snapped, as I finally found my voice. I wanted to get up and leave like my father had, but my legs felt heavy, like they were full of sand. Why was he acting happy about this revolting information?! It wasn't wonderful, it was fucking disgusting! "I'm nothing but a freak! A male omega?! What the hell does that mean?!" I turned to my mother, who was avoiding looking at me, like that would hide what was happening. "How am I supposed to show my face at social events?! What about my upcoming attendance at the academy?! Mother?!" This… had to be a bad dream, right? I was going to wake up and laugh about this over breakfast. Surely… I'd wake up…
I managed to stand from the chair and was about to bolt, but my mother's voice brought me back to the harsh reality. "Arden, sit down." She snapped. I didn't want to, but the look in her eyes wasn't something I wanted to mess with. She looked seriously annoyed. My mother let out an annoyed huff and turned to the imperial doctor, who was in the process of packing up. Did he think he could just escape after causing this mess? "Be honest with me. If he's really an omega, does that mean he's capable of reproducing, or is he a spurious one?" It was as if time froze. The fucking hell did my mother want to know? Me?! Have kids?! She's joking, right?!
My hands instantly wandered down to cover myself as if that would hide me from the doctor's gaze. Don't fucking look at me! "This is unprecedented. So… I'm not sure. I could perform an examination at a later-"
"Like hell you are!" I snapped, cutting him off. I wasn't letting him and his gross eyes anywhere near me! The last thing I wanted was some doctors poking around down there! Trust me, I didn't even have omega parts. I was a fully fledged male. There was nothing to see.
"Enough, Arden." Mother could barely look at me out of the corner of her eye, but they quickly darted over to the doctor. "We will think about it and decide at a later time." There was nothing to think about! I wasn't going to let anyone poke and prod at me like I was some rat. "For now, I don't want this information being spread around. I don't even want the imperial family to get word of it."
The imperial doctor picked up his bag and stared at the ground for a second. He looked a bit uncomfortable before looking up at my mother. "I can do my best to avoid the information getting out, but I can't avoid putting it into the imperial records."
Mother clicked her tongue in annoyance and glared at the doctor. "Fine, but do your best to keep it private." Mother's words were intimidating, and the silence that hung in the air was rather uncomfortable.
"Yes, ma'am." The doctor responded before nodding his head and turning on his heel.
The door to the parlor shut, and I was left to enjoy the awkward silence. Fuck… I just want to go back to my room… "Try… not to look so gloomy." My mother said with a sigh. Was she joking? How was I supposed to not be gloomy? "We'll figure things out, for now, go back to your room." Mother leaned an arm on her chair's rest so she could rub her temple, and she closed her eyes. That's… it? That's all she has to say?
My heart felt like it was going to pound out of my chest as I slowly rose to my feet. Every step I took felt like I was sinking further and further into mud. This… wasn't a dream… I… I'm really an… omega?
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Days turned into weeks, and my manifestation was feeling more and more like a curse. I used to be able to wander the estate and smile like I didn't have a care in the world. Now, I feel like a leper with a dangerous disease that could be caught at any second. My brothers tried to be supportive when they found out, but I could tell it made them uncomfortable. Even the staff gave me side eyes like I wouldn't notice. I was starting to feel like a stranger in my own home.
Even worse was when my pheromones appeared. Annoyance bubbled up in me to the point that it burst forth like a title wave. Our quiet and uncomfortable family dinner was instantly assaulted by gagging and coughing from my brothers. I stared at them with wide eyes as my mother quickly ushered me out of the room. That was the day that it became official. I really was an omega.
I didn't know how to react, and I didn't feel pleased about it. Instead, I isolated myself in my room, like that was going to make it all disappear. "Are you really not going to respond to that?" Rinley asked as I walked over to the fireplace with a letter from a friend.
I turned to glare at Rinley, my personal butler, before turning back to the flames. "Why would I want to respond? What am I supposed to say? That I've become a freak? That I can't be around anyone because I fucking stink?!" I brought my hand back and threw the letter into the fireplace as hard as I could. "I'd be better off dead!" I snarled as I watched the flames quickly consume the letter.
"Don't say things like that," Rinley said in a soft voice. Don't say things like that? He wasn't the freak of the Rainaldus family.
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Even worse than the pheromones that leaked from me constantly was the fact that my body was changing at a rapid pace. No, I wasn't becoming a female, but I was losing weight like crazy. I wasn't all that built in the first place, but any and all muscle that was on my body disappeared as if it never existed in the first place.
I woke up one morning with a fire inside me. I wasn't going to sit back and let the omega part of me have its way. I was going to do something about it. I was determined to get my lift back. "I'm going out to train," I called over to Rinley.
His black hair peeked around the corner, and I heard him call over to me before I left. "Is that… a good idea?" A slight scowl formed on my face. What did he know? He wasn't that much older than me, and he acted like he was some wise sage.
"It's going to be fine. Did you want me to sit around sulking for the rest of my life?" I grumbled as I grabbed my door's handle.
"No, I just am worried because-" I didn't even give him a chance to finish. Ugh, he was such a nag. I finally hauled myself out of my room, and that's how he's going to act?
I said I was going to be done with negativity, and here I am getting all up in arms over Rinley. Ugh, I need to fucking calm down. The weather's decent today, and I'm in a good mood. Yep, nothing could go wrong-
I barely made it to the back gardens before I was stopped. "Where do you think you're going?" Oh, so he is capable of speaking to me. I thought for sure my father wrote me off as dead the day the imperial doctor came. He basically ignored my existence these past three months.
His eyes were almost hidden due to the fact that they were the same dark brown as his hair was but I was able to make them out through his curly hair. He seemed almost… annoyed with me.
"To the training grounds. I wanted to exercise-! Hey!"
My father reached over and snagged my practice blade from where it rested on my hip. He glared at it for a moment before holding it in front of him horizontally. "You are not permitted to go to the training grounds anymore. If I see you there, or if you're caught attempting to go there again, there will be consequences." My eyes went wide in shock as my father brought my training sword down and snapped it over his knee, like it was nothing but a matchstick.
I was completely flabbergasted. "Wh… Why would you do that?!" I said, my voice rising in octaves to the point that I was yelling. He was the one who gave me that blade when I turned twelve! He… told me he was proud and… that he wanted to see what sort of heights I could reach in martial arts with it…
"An omega shouldn't be wielding a blade." He grunted in response.
Tears swelled in the corners of my eyes, and my gaze slowly rose to meet his. "Why?!" My pheromones swirled around me like an angry sweet cloud as I glared up at the man before me. How… How could he do that to my blade, to me?! Did the past not matter anymore because I turned into a damn omega?! Why was he not saying anything?! "I HATE YOU!" I snapped as I rushed past him. He… didn't need to go that far. He didn't need to break the blade that I cherished so much.
Tears stung my eyes as I stumbled my way up to my room. The moment I made it inside, I slumped down in front of the door and let out a sad wail. "WHY?!" Why do I have to be different?! "Why is this happening to me?!"
There was a knock on my door, but I didn't bother to move and answer it. It was probably just Rinley checking on me. I didn't want to see any more disgusted looks on anyone's faces. I was done with people for the day.
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The tears lasted long into the night, but eventually I managed to drag myself over to my bed so I could wrap a blanket around myself. I angrily pulled my training gear off and scooted over to the fireplace. I stared at the crackling flames for a moment before throwing my training shirt into its depths. It stunk as I tossed article after article into the fire, and it was getting a dark ash on things, but I didn't care. It felt rather liberating to get rid of the outfit. I wouldn't have to see my father all that often if I didn't go out to the training grounds anymore. It… would probably be for the best if we didn't have to interact with one another…
I slowly rose to my feet and headed towards my bed. I was exhausted and ready to hide from the world under the blankets. However, as I passed by my mirror, I paused. Hiding in the blanket was the shell of my former self. All soft and squishy. I didn't even recognize the person standing opposite me. If it wasn't for my amber eyes that shone out from my sage green hair, I wouldn't even have known that was me.
I brought my fist back and, using all my residual strength, I punched the mirror. Satisfaction coursed through me as I watched the glass splinter. There. Now it really looks like me. Broken.
I glared down at my hand that was bleeding and let out an annoyed huff. This damn body is so stupid and delicate. I hate it.
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Rinley puckered his lips as he applied an antiseptic to my hand with a cotton ball. "You shouldn't have done that." His eyes drifted over to the mirror as he grabbed a pair of tweezers from the medical kit.
"Too bad." I let out a soft hiss as he pulled a small shard of glass from my knuckles.
"We'll need to get it replaced."
"No," I responded. I winced as he started pulling out an even bigger piece of glass.
"You can't have a dangerous mirror in your room." Rinley paused to look at me, and his black eyes glared at me.
"Just clean up all the shards. I won't punch it again." My gaze slowly wandered over to the mirror, and the strange satisfaction I felt earlier returned. "It finally shows my true reflection."
Rinley slowly inhaled and let out a long, drawn-out exhale. "If you insist, my lord." Yes, I do insist.
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"Arden, we need to talk." I popped my head out from under my blanket with a scowl before plunging back underneath. There wasn't anything to fucking talk about. Mother let out a long sigh and stopped trying to remove my blankets. "Fine if you won't come out, then you'll just have to listen from under there. The reality is that you're an omega. It's not safe for you to be taking part in activities for alphas."
Irritation bubbled up inside me, and I pulled the covers down enough so my mother could see my glaring face. "So what? I'm just supposed to stop doing everything I loved to do?!"
My mother stared down at me for a second. Her eyes seemed rather calculated as she took me in, but the small frown she had gave her away. Yeah, I know. I'm nothing but a freak you unfortunately gave birth to. "No. Some stuff you can still do, but anything combat or weapon-related is off the table." I let out an angry whine and pulled the blanket back up over me. In reality, it wasn't anger that was overwhelming me. Yeah, it was there, but what bothered me the most were the tears that were stinging my eyes. "Arden." Mother called to me as if I would pull the blanket back down. "It will be an adjustment, but I'm sure you'll find things you enjoy doing that don't involve combat."
Another angry grunt escaped me as tears managed to spill down my face. She's kidding, right? Most of the shit I enjoyed doing was stuff that 'alphas' did. Basically, what she was telling me was that I couldn't swordplay, ride horses, shoot bows, and go hunting in the glades. In other words, the only thing she wanted me to do was sit around reading books. I… was still a guy… I wasn't a girl who needed to be looked after. Just because I wasn't as physically strong as before didn't mean I had to give everything up.
I just didn't understand what my parents wanted me to do. Wasn't it torture enough having to cut off all my friends and be isolated in my room? Mother let out another long sigh after it was clear that I wasn't going to respond. "Arden, your father and I are just trying to do what's best for you. Try to understand." Her hand patted my head through the blanket, and after a moment, I heard the door close.
I cautiously poked my head out of the blanket and saw that I was alone. Best for me, my ass. You're just trying to make it so I never leave my room. It would probably be best for everyone if I just disappeared.
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The following month was quiet. I stayed to myself and didn't wander the grounds. I never tried going to the training grounds and wouldn't eat meals with my family. My mother tried approaching me a few times, but I hardly cared about what she had to say. All she did was nag, nag, nag. Don't do this, don't act like that, and stay away from alphas. If I had to listen to her one more time, I was going to reach up and rip my ears off. I wasn't some girl that she needed to baby.
She did attempt to teach me how to control my pheromones a few times, so I wasn't a walking perfume bottle, but her advice didn't help. She tried instructing me in different techniques, but eventually I gave up trying to control them. Nothing I did helped, so what was the point?
What hurt the most was that my relationships with Claren and Everett basically evaporated because of my accursed pheromones. They couldn't even stand to be around me without gagging. I wanted to work under Everett when he eventually took over the dukedom from father, but that wasn't going to happen now. Even Claren, whom I was closer to, kept trying to extend the olive branch to me, but my emotions would get out of hand, and he'd be left scurrying out of the room before he got sick.
I felt… isolated… in my own little world with Rinley…
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"Are you really not coming with us to the ball?" My brother, Claren, called to me through my door. "You haven't left the estate in over a year! Your friends keep asking me where you disappeared to. Don't you want to see them before attending the academy?" I frowned but didn't make an effort to answer the door. Had Claren lost his mind? I can't even leave my room, much less leave the estate and travel somewhere. Besides, all I'd be is an odd spectacle for ridicule and jokes. I don't even want to see Claren, much less other people.
"Leave me alone, Claren. I'm not going to any ball, nor am I going to the damn academy!" My pheromones swirled around me like an angry cloud of sweetness. Fuck! These stupid pheromones have been nothing but a curse since they appeared.
I bit my lip and rose from the bed so I could pull my nightstand drawer open. Where the hell are they-
I ended up pulling the drawer too hard, and the contents spilled out onto the floor. Fucking hell! Nothing can ever go right for me, can it?! Where the hell are those useless pills?!
"I think you're overreacting." Claren's voice was gentle as he spoke to me again through my door. A loud exasperated sigh escaped me as I kicked the contents of my drawer and stomped across my room. My hand clenched the handle and threw open the door to my room. Claren instantly withdrew and put a hand over his nose. He kept taking steps back until his back smacked into the opposite wall.
"I'm overreacting?!" I snapped. "Just leave! Not even my siblings can stand to be around me because I stink, and you think I want to go somewhere in this state?!" I glared at him as he started to turn the same shade of green that our hair was. "Ugh, just leave, you idiot!" I whipped around and slammed the door to my room shut. I hope you fucking puke in the hall.
He had to be a raging idiot. I hadn't even eaten meals with the family in over a year because I couldn't control my pheromones, and he thought I wanted to go to a party?! Just how daft was Claren?! I stormed over to my drawer's contents and started digging around. Where the hell are the pills?!
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the blue pill bottle of suppressants, which had rolled under my bed. That's where those little fuckers went. I snarled to myself as I popped off the lid and threw three of the blasted things in my mouth. I swear it didn't matter how many of them I ate because they didn't do anything to stop my pheromones.
I can't believe my family keeps bringing up the academy. They didn't even want me to show my face around the estate, and yet they wanted to send me off? I don't care if it's considered a requirement for noble families. There had to be exceptions. I doubt they'd even want me in attendance. It was nothing but a waste of time.
A loud grumble of frustration could be heard as I flopped down into my bedding. Gods, I hate everything.
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"Come on, up and at 'em," Rinley said as he pulled the blanket off me. Annoyance surged through me, and the scent in my room slightly shifted to reflect my mood, not that he'd notice, since he was a beta.
"Leave me alone," I grumbled as I tried to retrieve my blanket. He knew this was my prime sulking time. Why was he bothering me?
"No, your parents have requested your presence and thus, you will be presentable." Rinley had a creepy look in his eye. He was totally going to force me out of my room if I put up a fight, wasn't he?
"What do they even want?" I snapped as I toddled out of bed. Damn, I was pretty comfortable too. Talk about ruining a potential nap.
"They did not inform me, and it is not my place to inquire." I let out a sigh as Rinley started to brush my hair. His nimble fingers pulled it into a low ponytail. Guess I'll find out what they want the hard way.
Despite being annoyed, I was a willing participant as Rinley went about getting me ready. It seemed like a waste because I was totally just going to come back to my room and crawl into my bed again, but there was no point in complaining. My dumb body had become so weak that I couldn't even put up a proper fight against Rinley. I can't believe my body has become so pathetic.
After getting dressed, Rinley guided me down to a family parlor where my parents were waiting. I was expecting my mother to be there, but I almost froze in the doorway when I spotted my father. Irritation coursed through me, and a scowl formed on my face. "What?" I snapped as I charged in and plopped down on the sofa opposite them.
"You will be attending the academy in two months." My father declared coldly. Still not looking at me, huh?
"I refuse-"
I wasn't even able to get the words out before my father's voice cut me off. "I didn't ask for your opinion." He snarled. I flinched as my father's voice became gravely. Did he almost growl at me? "The paperwork has been filed and arrangements have been made." His voice mellowed out as he talked, but it was all too clear that he was on the verge of growling at me.
Mother reached over and put her hand on father's leg. "Calm down." Her attention drifted to me for a moment before drifting past me. Was she looking at Rinley? "Your butler will be joining you at the academy. He'll ensure that your pheromones don't get out of control and will be there to care for your needs." Oh, so she was looking at Rinley.
Wait… "How is a beta going to know if my pheromones are in check?" I wanted to turn and gawk at Rinley, but didn't want to turn away from my father. I didn't trust him.
"He's been caring for you for multiple years… Did you not know?" Apparently, my baffled expression said enough because my mother continued. "Rinley is capable of seeing pheromones. He'll know when you're admitting them and need to be isolated." The hell? He never mentioned such a thing to me. Granted, he rarely talked about himself, but that felt like quite the oversight.
"So…" My brain felt completely overwhelmed by the prospect of going to the academy. I didn't think it was a reality, but now that I think about it… "I'm going to have to attend with damn girls, won't I?"
"Watch your language." My mother snapped. "I've told you many times that that's not how an omega should act."
My scowl deepened, and the annoyed look in my mother's amber eyes grew. "Last I checked, I'm not exactly your typical omega-"
I flinched as a low, grumbling growl could be heard echoing out from my father. "Don't talk to your mother that way." He snarled. All I could do was nod my head repeatedly. Holy shit, that's fucking scary. I didn't feel threatened per se, but I definitely felt intimidated.
"Honey, you don't need to growl at our son." You say that, but you don't seem all that annoyed about it. "You will be attending with fellow omegas at the Omega Academy." She obnoxiously stretched out the words omega as if I wasn't able to process her sentence without it. In other words, yes. I will have to attend with girls. Fucking hell. As if my life wasn't enough of a disaster.
I let out an annoyed huff, and my father grunted in response. "Get it through your head."
"You getting angry is not helping." Mother said as she finally addressed the pissed off bear sitting next to her. Oh, so now she cares. Why wasn't he reprimanded after growling at me? "There is a tailor here to get your measurements. She'll be making your uniform."
"I don't… have to wear a fucking skirt, do I?" My father grumbled angrily as I swore again, but he didn't growl.
Mother, for the first time in a long time, stifled a snicker. "No. I won't be having my son run around in a skirt. You'll be wearing the same uniform as the other guys, but in the omega colors." Oh gods. You're telling me I have to wear a white uniform?! I'm going to stand out like crazy!
"No! I'm-"
My father growled again, and my mother waved me off. "The tailor should be here. Go get your measurements done." I nodded my head and was quickly guided out of the room by Rinley. What the hell is wrong with my father?! Gods, maybe getting away from him will be for the best.
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On the way to my room, an attendant appeared with whom I assume was the tailor. I think I've seen her once before, but it's been a long time. "Ah, Lord Arden, it's a pleasure to be working with you today." Ugh, she was far too bubbly, and the excited twinkle in her eyes was too much.
I let out an annoyed sigh and turned to keep walking to my room. "Yep," I grumbled. She'd better keep her opinions to herself.
Rinley hauled me off to my closet to have me change into light clothes that would be easy to get measurements through and forced me over to the tailor. "You may now get your measurements. Everything will need to be updated for Lord Arden, and the clothes his family had sent over all need to be altered to fit him." Oh, so that's why Rinley raided my closet the other day. I just thought he was getting rid of clothes I stopped wearing.
"Yes, of course! I will make sure that the measurements are perfect and will properly fit." She beamed up Rinley and pulled her supplies from her bag. "Alright, could you stand like this?" She had her arms slightly out from her body with her chest puffed up, so I followed suit and did what she asked. She started taking measurement after measurement, only pausing to write things down on her parchment. The irritating part was that she kept muttering to herself. "Huh."
"What?" I finally snapped after losing patience with her. Did I really have to listen to her do that the entire time?
"Oh! Sorry! It's just, usually when we get called back to do measurements, it's because people grow… not shrink." So I wasn't fucking imagining it. I glared at her, and she pulled away with a pink face. "Not that there's anything wrong with it!"
I gnashed my teeth together and wanted to dart over to my bed to hide, but I knew Rinley would just haul me back. The last thing I needed to do was put on a show for her. "Just get the damn measurements done."
"Yes, of course. Right away." Fucking hell. At least she kept her mouth shut as she resumed measuring me, but her measurements seemed unnecessarily thorough. Was it really necessary to measure my foot size and the circumference of all my limbs? I watched as she scribbled something down in her notes before she put her stuff away. "Okay, I am done. I'll make sure that you get your academy uniforms long before you depart for the academy." Irritation started to bubble up in me again, and I simply nodded.
Rinley showed her to the door while I went to flop down in my bed. I don't want to go to the academy, but I sure as hell didn't want to stick around here. Shit. "Would you like to change into the clothes you were wearing or something else?" Rinley asked as he wandered over to where I was lying lifelessly.
"Neither," I grumbled as I slid a bit further onto the bed. I grabbed a blanket and started pulling it over me, but had to pause so I could glare at Rinley.
"Would you like to join your family for dinner tonight?" He asked.
Had leaving my room for a second made him lose his mind? "What a stupid question, Rinley. Bring my food here."
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Rinley entered my room holding a rather large wooden box, followed by my mother. I looked up from my book with a look of confusion. "What?" Don't tell me she's here to nag me some more.
"Is this all you do all day?" She asked.
A scowl instantly formed on my face. "I believe it was you who said I can't do anything I actually enjoy doing. Reading is the only thing I have left." That and loafing. I've lain on my bed more in the past year and a half than I had in my entire life. My eyes were drawn over to Rinley, who set the wooden chest on the coffee table. That couldn't possibly be my clothes. It had only been a few days. Mother looked rather annoyed with me and seemed like she was going to start bickering with me, so I decided to direct her attention elsewhere. "What's that?"
She let out an annoyed sigh and motioned towards my sofas. "Come join me." I let out a sigh and stuck my bookmark in the book I was reading. Fine. I'll come investigate what's in the stupid box. I slid off my bed like the true slug I had become and wandered over to my sofas. I was about to sit opposite my mother, but she patted the spot next to her. "Over here."
"Oookay." I grumbled as I plopped down beside her.
"I know you don't like hearing about being an omega, but this is important. You'll be going to the academy soon, so it only seems fitting for you to receive these." Mother leaned forward and undid the clasp on the box. When she opened it and I got to see what was inside, I froze.
She was… joking, right? Inside the box was not one, not two, but five different styles of collars, ranging from rather simple to rather fancy. My eyes slowly drifted from the collars to my mother, who was looking at the collars fondly. "No."
Mother reached over and placed her hand on my knee. "Arden. You don't exactly get a choice in the matter. I'm sure you know that all omegas wear them. It's for your safety."
"You don't wear them!" I snapped.
"Well, it's not a physical collar, no." Mother snickered. "I share a bond with your father." Her finger came up and traced the golden band on her neck that signified the bond father and she shared. "I technically should have given you these sooner, but I wanted to have your neck measurements checked. They wouldn't be very useful if they didn't fit."
No, no, no! I don't want to wear one of those damn things! It was like admitting I really was an omega! I don't fucking want that!
"Not that there's a need in our own home, but you should start wearing them, so you can adjust to them. I admit it's a bit claustrophobic at first." Mother reached into the box and pulled out the leather one. "I recommend this one while around the estate or while at your dorm. You'll need to swap to one of these when you go out or are in the common areas on campus."
Mother just kept talking and talking. I felt like I was going to pass out as she undid the clasps on the leather collar. "No, I'm not going-"
"I'm not going to have my son get marked by just an alpha." She snapped. "Don't make me force you to wear one." She looked down, right annoyed, but was clearly not understanding the mental breakdown I was having.
It wasn't necessarily the collars I was having a problem with, but the fact that I have to wear one to prevent alphas from coming after me. Just the thought of a guy approaching me with those intentions made my skin crawl. My stomach churned with the idea of me possibly marrying a guy one day. No, that's not going to fucking happen. I won't let it.
I reached over with a shaky hand and accepted the dumb leather collar. I wasn't pleased about it, but my mother smiled as I held it up to my neck. "Don't look so down." She said as she leaned forward to help me with the clasp. It took everything inside of me to hold my tongue. She didn't fucking understand and never would. "That looks good on you." She smiled as she pulled away.
I guess wearing it wasn't too uncomfortable. The metal ones looked less pleasant to wear. I felt rather embarrassed, though. Like the omega part of me had finally claimed ownership.
Mother was oblivious to my internal torment as she started talking about the collars before me. "Most of these I had custom-made for you. I tried having them made in a slightly more masculine manner." She pulled a rather wide gold one out and showed it to me before returning it to its slot. I guess it was more masculine? It sorta dipped down at my collarbone, or at least I thought it did. "This one is very special." She said as she pulled a way too girly-looking collar out. It had a floral design carved into its golden band. "This one has been passed down from generation to generation in our family for a while. I never ended up having a daughter, but…" My mother gave me a slight side eye. "I guess my wish to have an omega child came true, just not in the way I was expecting." She turned to me and held out the gold collar for me. "I'd like it if these could protect you the same way they protected me until I met your father." I awkwardly accepted the gold collar and stared down at it. Fuck… I felt a little bad about reacting so poorly, but my skin kept crawling the more my mother talked. I wasn't her daughter, and I wasn't okay with the idea of another guy touching me. Had this conversation happened between a mother and daughter, it would have been a good bonding moment between the pair, but I just felt uncomfortable.
"Yeah..." I managed to mumble. I held the collar for a moment before quickly setting it back into its slot. I probably should have thanked my mother, but I wasn't all that grateful for the gift.
My mother let out a little sigh and rose from her spot on the sofa. "Ensure Arden wears one every day starting from now on. It's non-negotiable." Her gaze wandered to me for a second, and a shiver ran down my spine. Never had I seen her amber eyes so serious before. "Don't fight it."
Yeah, yeah, yeah. I'll wear the stupid collars. Simply because I'd rather die than have some creep claim me. Just thinking about it made me grossed out.
My mother left, and I stared at the collection of collars now in my possession. Huh, there were some odd ones in the mix. Apparently, my mother thought gold would look good on me because all of them, but the leather one, were gold. Oh, here I was thinking the floral one was girly. This one has jewels set into the neckline. Like I'm going to fucking wear these.
"Put these in the closet," I grumbled as I wandered back over to flop on my bed.
"Yes, of course." I wanted to grumble in response to his chipper attitude, but I was feeling mentally drained. There was too much to take in and process. Damn, can't my life be simple?
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Two months had passed too fucking quickly. My feelings were mixed about the academy, but I guarantee you, none of them were positive. "Arden! Get your butt out of bed right now!" My mother screeched as she tried to pull the blanket off me. "You're going to be a disgrace to our family if you make our carriage arrive late." Oh yeah, like I already wasn't a disgrace. Arriving late would probably be a blessing. "Your carriage leaves soon, and you're not even dressed?!" She stopped tugging on my blankets for a second to yell, "Rinley!"
I let out an annoyed whine and tried to resist as Rinley pulled me and my blanket out of the bed. Put me the fuck down! I thrashed about, but Rinley didn't even pause as we entered the bathroom. Despite my feral behavior, he sat me down in my usual chair. "Lord Arden, you must get ready." He said as he grabbed my brush and ran it through my messy bedhead.
"I don't want to!" I childishly grumbled. My mother watched us for a second from the doorway before letting out a huff and leaving. Good, go away. I pulled my blankets tighter around me and glared at my reflection in the bathroom mirror. "I look like a damn girl."
Rinley paused and looked at my reflection for a moment. "Your hair has gotten a bit long since you haven't had it cut. There's not enough time to do it this morning… Would you like me to style it differently?" I guess it has gotten a bit longer since I stopped caring about things. It used to just come to the nape of my neck, but now it has gone past my shoulders. It, with my softer features, really made me look feminine.
"No." Why did I have to inherit my mother's pale sage green hair? It didn't look half bad on Claren, but his hair was incredibly curly and short, while mine was rather long and straight. "Maybe I'll have it dyed in the capital," I mumbled, mostly to myself.
Rinley paused after getting my usual black ribbon tied and furrowed his brow. "You don't like the color of your hair?"
"It's girly."
Rinley let out a little sigh, and the corners of his lips turned up. Hey! There's nothing funny about what I'm saying. "If you insist, we can dye it, but this color looks rather good with your complexion."
"Just get my stupid clothes ready," I grumbled as I wandered over to the sink to wash my face. I probably wasn't going to dye my hair, but I might have to when I run away from the academy. I still can't wrap my head around going.
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I dragged my feet getting ready, and the carriage still wasn't even packed! Mother didn't need to force me out of bed so early. I glared out the window at the staff who were buzzing about getting the carriages ready when I heard an all too familiar voice. "Oh, sleepyhead made it." Everett wandered over and clasped my shoulder. Damn, you and Father are both freaky strong. Guess it makes sense. You look just like him.
"Get off me," I grumbled. To my surprise, Everett actually did take a few steps away with a tense face. It was probably my pheromones more than anything, but I was glad to have him step away.
"How are you and Claren going to ride in the same carriage with you being so grumpy? He's going to end up vomiting." Everett had a dumb look on his face, and Claren, who was lurking on the opposite side of the foyer, fidgeted uncomfortably.
I glanced out at the two carriages, then back over to Everett. "We're riding in the same carriage? Why?"
"Because taking three carriages is unnecessary." Mother said as she came down the stairs. I thought she would have been accompanied by father, but shocker, he wasn't here. He'd probably be too pleased about sending his rejected child off if he were here. "You've been taught plenty of ways to control your pheromones, so use a method."
I glanced over to Claren, who was still looking rather uncomfortable and awkwardly looked away. It's not like I wanted to make him sick. Trust me, if I could control them, I would. Better yet, I wouldn't be a damn omega if I had a choice in the matter.
"Now, Arden. I know you don't like listening, but you need to remember to stay away from alphas. Wear your metal collars when outside of your dorm, and make sure you-"
"Mother," Everett must have noticed my annoyed glare or the attendant that signaled the carriages were ready, because he stepped closer to mother and put his hand on her shoulder. "I'm sure you've told Arden about all this before. He's a smart kid, I'm sure he won't forget." He winked at me, and I controlled my urge to roll my eyes. Thanks, I guess. I was pretty used to zoning out as my mother nagged. I didn't need him to come to my rescue.
"I hope he doesn't." Mother shot me an annoyed look and glanced over to Claren. "Good luck at the academy, boys. Do well in your classes."
"Don't forget to ask the professors for help if you need it." Everett shot me a warm smile, and I looked away uncomfortably. Why show warmth now when you haven't even tried in over a year? It just felt fake. Like they were all glad that I was leaving.
"Shall we go then?" Claren asked. Fuck he looked like he was going to pass out, he was so damn pale. I guess I'll try to control myself.
I took a deep breath and nodded my head. Yeah, let's get this shit show started.
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I sat adjacent to Claren so I could be as physically far away from him as possible. He still, unfortunately, looked queasy as he stared out the window. "Sorry…" I muttered as my gaze dropped to the carpeted floor of the carriage.
"Huh?" Claren glanced over at me with a puzzled expression.
"I'm trying my best not to produce pheromones, but it doesn't do much. I just… naturally smell…" Even when I put in a ton of effort to stop my pheromones, all it ever did was reduce how strong they were. I was cursed to be a stinky perfume bottle.
"Ah. You do stink pretty bad." Claren got a funny look on his face, and I rolled my eyes. I wasn't in a joking mood. "Like rotting garbage." He said with a wrinkled nose.
My expression turned into a frown, and I slightly glared at Claren. "I'm fucking aware." I snapped.
"Oh, come on. Laugh a little." My frown deepened, and Claren coughed. Shit… actually that's on you for annoying me.
I inhaled and exhaled slowly as I turned my attention out the window. "I doubt you'd find it a laughing matter if it were you."
Claren fell silent for a moment before speaking up. "Does that mean I can get payback by making you smell my pheromones?" I glanced over to Claren, who apparently was still in a joking mood.
"I've smelled you once. It's far worse than rotting garbage."
"What?! When?" Claren gave me a confused look, and I rolled my eyes. Even though we haven't seen much of each other over the past year, we still live in the same house. We were bound to run into one another.
"You had come back in from training, and I was headed back to my room from the library. I ended up getting sick in the hall because of you." Just thinking about it made my nose wrinkle. I guess I could sorta understand how my brothers felt about being around me. If Claren stunk like that all the time, I'd avoid him, too. Not that it justifies their behavior…
Claren let out a bit of a huff, but he seemed to have a small smile on his face. Did making me puke bring him that much amusement? "Did you know our great-great-great-grandfather was dominant?" What did that have to do with anything?
"I think father mentioned it once or twice." Ugh, thinking about father leaves a bitter taste in my mouth. "Why?" I asked, trying to distract myself from getting upset.
"Oh well, they say he also had a strong scent that followed him around. Apparently, it's just a dominant thing." Claren shrugged. I knew having a strong scent was tied to being dominant from the book I had read, so it wasn't that surprising that Grandfather had a strong scent too.
"Yippy." I flatly responded. "I'm going to take a nap. If we arrive or I start producing pheromones, wake me up." I was sorta over talking to Claren. Maybe it was because I hadn't really talked to others in a while, but I felt drained having to hold a conversation. Besides, the more we talked, the more likely it was that an emotion would spike and I'd choke him out. It was best if I went to sleep, or at least pretended to be asleep. I doubt I'd be able to sleep with all the stress swirling around inside me.
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Hours had passed, and I wasn't able to fall asleep. Claren either didn't know or didn't care that I was pretending; either way, we had finally transferred onto cobblestone. "We're almost there," Claren called over to me.
I let out a yawn and blinked a few times as my eyes adjusted to the change in brightness. My body wasn't sure if it should be pleased or have a panic attack about making it here. Forget about Claren getting sick, I felt like I could hurl at any moment. "That was faster than expected." The last time I came to the capital, I was around eight. We sort of stopped when the current emperor took over. Not that our family didn't get along with him, it was quite the opposite. My father was incredibly close to the emperor because they attended the academy during the same time, but now that they're adults, they can't visit for much besides business. Guess getting older fucking sucks for everyone, doesn't it?
"Our territory is closest to the capital. Do you need to take a geography course at the academy?" Claren teased, causing me to frown.
"No. It's just been a while." Usually, Everett was the one father brought to the capital. It made sense. There was no advantage to bringing either of us. We weren't the ones inheriting father's title.
"Some students have to travel for weeks to get here. We should be grateful that our journey is so short."
"More like you should be grateful that you don't have to spend multiple days traveling with me," I grumbled in response. Heh, his annoying smile slightly disappeared as he gave me a dull look. It's not very fun getting teased, is it?
Our carriage jolted as it began to move again, and I curiously looked out the window. Despite Claren acting like I was an imbecile, I knew that the capital was set up as a series of rings. In the center was the palace, and the next layer was where nobility lived. That's also where the academy was located. After that, there was a trade district where you could find a variety of items. Then there was the commoner layer and the expansive section of farmland that acted as a skirt to the capital.
The capital was the biggest city in the empire, and the moment we passed under its massive iron gates, you could instantly sense the sheer magnitude of the place. It was teeming with life and was crammed wall to wall with buildings. Shit, I'd totally get lost if left to wander the place on my own. I much prefer our dukedom's capital city, which was spread out a bit more.
The further in we went, the houses and shops began to look nicer. Oh, I don't dislike this as much. I could handle this. It took a while to make it through the crowded streets, but we made it to the second layer of the capital onion. Whoa, and I thought the commoner area was busy. It's going to be a while before we make it through the trade district.
"They should build a special road that takes you directly to the academy," Claren grumbled as he looked out his own window.
"Who was the one who needed to take a special class? Don't tell me you're failing your tactics classes." I said while giving Claren a side eye.
"Yeah, yeah," Claren grumbled as he rolled his eyes. He should know more than anyone how dumb that would be. The reason why the capital felt maze-like was that it was safe. If someone were to attempt to seize the capital, they'd have to make it through the multiple layers before taking the palace. Building a road directly to the nobles' district would be like screaming to your enemies, 'attack here!'
"Oh yeah, Mr. I want to join the military, do ya really know?" I turned so I could rest the side of my head on my fist and noticed the frown Claren was giving me. "Oh, so now you're not enjoying teasing because it's being directed at you, huh?"
"Fine, I'll stop." Claren slightly raised his hands in surrender, but the curl of his lip was too obvious. I guess I wasn't the only one who missed being around my brothers.
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We passed through a tall set of gates that had a rather fancy-looking A interlocked with an Ω. So, we've made it, huh? Our carriage slowly came to a stop in their circular drive, and my stomach sank. I tried to focus on the impressive academy buildings in the background, but my eyes wandered to the many students being unloaded from their families' carriages. Maybe they won't fucking notice me. I… had on my stupid gold collar, though. I don't think anything else indicated that I was an omega.
"Arden!" I glanced over to Claren, who was scrambling to get out of the carriage. Ah shit. My skyrocketing nerves caused my pheromones to go haywire. Claren managed to scramble out of the carriage before throwing up, but he got some weird glances for bolting out of our carriage and panting for fresh air.
My stomach churned, but not for the same reasons that Claren's did. I didn't want to get out of the carriage. Not that I wanted to go back home either. Can't I just become a hermit that reads books all day? Rinley's head poked into the carriage, and he gave me an amused look. "Do I need to haul you out of the carriage?"
"No…" I grumbled. Though the desire to vomit on the carriage floor like an anxious cat was becoming stronger.
Rinley extended his hand to me, and I scowled. "Come on."
"I don't need help getting out of a carriage." I snapped. Just to prove my point, I hauled my ass out of the carriage but hid relatively close to Rinley. People… didn't seem to be paying us too much attention…
Claren and his attendant wandered closer, but it was obvious that Claren was keeping his distance from me. "I can show you to the omega gates, but I can't guide you to your room. I can't enter the omega-"
"Not so loud!" I snapped in a hush tone.
Claren gave me an odd look and continued to talk in a softer voice. "I can't enter the omega facilities, so you'll have to figure that part out on your own."
"I have Lord Arden's paperwork," Rinley said as he patted his breast pocket. At least someone knew what the hell they were doing. If it was up to me, I would have fucking run away by now-
"Claren! Hope you've been practicing over the break." A rather tall and muscular guy wandered over and playfully pushed Claren's shoulder. He was grinning ear to ear with his pearly white teeth on display, but his expression went blank for a second, and he glanced my way. "I didn't know you had a sister."
A shiver ran down my spine, and I ducked to hide behind Rinley. The fuck did he just say?! Claren grabbed the guy's face as he sniffed the air and pushed him away from me. "Ugh… huh…" Claren mumbled, not giving a proper response. "I've practiced enough to take you down." Claren did his best to pull the guy away, but he managed to brush Claren off of him. The creepy part was his gaze that drifted my way and wouldn't leave. "Anyways, I'm busy, I'll chat with you at a later time, Navier."
"I'll see you around the dorms then." Despite saying goodbye, he lingered around for a moment before drifting off. Gods, I wanted to walk over and poke this dude's eyes out. Don't fucking look at me, it's disgusting!
"Come on, before we draw more attention," Claren said as he ushered me along. Yeah, yeah. Trust me. I want nothing more than to find my dorm and hide for the rest of the semester.
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"Alright, here is where we separate," Claren said as he waved towards the gate with a Ω on it. I looked past the gates at the buildings neatly spread about and then across the way to the almost identical buildings that sat behind their own iron fences. Ah, that must be the alpha side. The campus buildings were rather pretty with a terracotta brick finish and larger white ones that zig-zagged up the corners. Even the academy grounds looked perfectly manicured. I'd probably feel excited about coming here if fate weren't so damn cruel.
Before I could even say anything, one of the two guards hovering next to the gate interjected in our conversation. "The alpha gates are over there." He rudely grunted while pointing his finger towards the buildings I had been staring at.
"Actually, my brother is allowed in here." Claren looked away from the guard with a pink face. Was it that hard for you to say it out loud? Not that I want to admit it either, but I wish I still had muscles to punch you right now.
The guards shared a puzzled look before gawking at me. Fuck, maybe hiding at home and dealing with father was the better option rather than getting hauled here. Just kill me. Thankfully, Rinley came to the rescue and stepped forward. "Here are the official documents signed by the imperial court." He said as he pulled the papers from his breast pocket and handed over the one they needed to see.
The guards read over the paper and glanced at me a few times. The guy holding the paper even held it up to the sun. Like we'd fucking forge such an embarrassing document! I'd rather rip my own fingernails off than come here willingly! "The seal looks real." One of the idiots grunted. No shit, they were!
"Yeah… but a male omega? I've never heard of such a thing." The guy holding my document grunted back. We can fucking hear you!
I angrily bit my lip and resisted the urge to shout at them. As my patience wore dangerously thin, Rinley spoke up. "Is there a problem with the documentation?" He asked in a rather cold tone.
"There doesn't seem to be any problems."
"Then why are you preventing my lord's entry?" Rinley flashed one of his polite but clearly annoyed faces that I was all too familiar with. Oh, so that expression isn't just for me when I don't want to leave my bed and take a bath in the mornings. Huh.
"The situation just sounds odd."
"What's odd is that you're going against imperial court decrees." Rinley plucked the letter from the dumb guard's hands and returned it to his pocket with the other ones.
"We're not doing any such thing."
"Then let's go get your dorm situated, Lord Arden." Rinley ushered me closer to the gate as he grabbed the trolley with my luggage on it.
"Ah, I'll see you around, Arden… Good luck…" Claren awkwardly waved goodbye to me as the guards begrudgingly let me pass. I was barely able to wave back; I was so mortified. Returning home felt like a better idea with each passing moment.
"Take a deep breath," Rinley said as we walked away from the gate. I did as he advised, but my breath was rather shaky. "Interest in you will die down over time. Don't worry about it. Soon we'll be in your dorm and you'll be able to lie down and relax." I nodded my head, but saw the table surrounded by girls we were approaching. Fuck, I can't catch a break, can I?
I moved to walk slightly behind Rinley, but it wouldn't remedy the problem. They'd still be able to see me. "Right, here you are. Room 147." The all too bubbly, who I assumed to be a professor, said as she handed a girl her room key and motioned her towards the building's door. "One of our student government officers will guide you to your room. Ah, hello, can I help you?" She glanced up, and her eyes instantly darted over to us. Fucking hell, as soon as she drew everyone's attention our way, I wanted to vomit. No, don't stare!
Of course, they weren't giving me curious looks. The girls around the table had fearful and concerned eyes as they looked me over. My attempts to melt into the ground weren't working at all as Rinley stopped in front of the table. "Greetings. I am Lord Arden Rainaldus's attendant. Could we ascertain where his living quarters will be?" I'm not sure what I would do without Rinley. I couldn't even find it in myself to speak right now, much less handle this awkward situation.
"Ah," The professor leaned to the side so she could peek around Rinley. Her curly purple hair bounced slightly, and she gave me a smile. She was obviously older than any of the girls hanging around the table, but her pink eyes sparkled with curiosity. "So, you're our special new student. I have his key over here." The professor walked over to the second table and started sorting through keys when a girl exited the building we were beside. "Oh, perfect timing, Sylvia. Could you monitor the table while I take this student up to their room?"
"Yes, of course, Professor Yasabelle." So, that woman was a professor, I thought so. The girl politely smiled and wandered over. Fuck, the look of shock that appeared when she saw me lurking behind Rinley was annoying. I know that I'm the son of a duke and shouldn't be cowering, but I couldn't find it in myself to do much else. There's not a chance I could be pompous and haughty in this situation.
"Alright," The professor said as she returned to the main table. "I'll escort you to your room since it's in a different part of the building. Please, follow me." She said as she waved us over to the door.
Rinley picked up my three bags and followed after her. I sure as hell didn't want to be left behind, so I followed suit. The moment the girls thought we were out of earshot, though, they began to whisper.
"Was… that a guy?"
"He was wearing pants, so he has to be a guy, right? No girl is going to walk around in that sort of outfit."
"Then what's a guy doing on our campus?"
"Didn't you notice his pheromones in the air and the collar around his neck?"
"What?! Really?!"
"You're telling me that he's an omega?!"
"That's impossible!"
We can fucking hear you! Shut your damn mouths! I should have yelled it at them, but my face was so warm that it was baking the sanity right out of my brain. Shit! How exactly is this supposed to get better?! I should have fucking stayed at home!
The professor cleared her throat when we entered through the doors, and she glanced back at us with an awkward smile. "I'm sure you'll be the talk of the campus for a while." She chuckled, but neither I nor Rinley responded. "Ahem, a-anyways. You can call me Professor Yasabelle. Welcome to the Omega Academy." All I could do was grunt in response, but that didn't stop her from talking. There hasn't been anything fucking welcoming about this experience. "I teach music to all three grade levels, so I'm excited to have you in my class. I apologize about your room being such a walk." She said as we went up a flight of stairs that were tucked away down a hall. "Since you're male, the academy won't permit you to share a room with another student, but don't let it get you down." She glanced back again, but this time she had quite the smile on her face as she waved my key around in the air. "You'll be staying in one of the nicest rooms available to students. I believe its last occupant was Princess Suzanne, five years ago." I wasn't sure if she normally talked this much, but I was finding it mildly annoying. I didn't need the annals of the room. It mattered little to me who used it last. The only reason I was getting a 'nicer room' was because they needed to shove me somewhere private.
The professor finally fell silent as we went up an additional two flights of stairs. Fucking hell, I wasn't ready for so much physical exercise. By the time we reached the top of the building, I was out of breath. Even Rinley gave me a slightly concerned side eye as I tried to get my breathing under control. Maybe… laying around in my bed all the time sulking isn't the most healthy habit in the world…
The floor we arrived on only had a short hallway with four doors. "Here we are!" Professor Yasabelle stopped in front of a door labeled RS 1 and handed me a key. Oh, even the key was more elaborate than what the other girl got. This seems unnecessary. "It's a bit of a walk, but the views of campus are better up here." She giggled as I approached the door and used the key to unlock it.
The door to the room swung open, and I froze. Blinking didn't help remove the horrors before me, but it did manage to make my lips work. "The hell?" I turned to the professor with a sour look. "Is this… a joke?" Surely, it was. They wouldn't have gone out of their way to make the room intentionally look like this, would they?
Professor Yassabelle poked her head into the room and glanced at me with a blank expression. "Ah, um… no? All the rooms in the dorms are decorated in a similar manner…" She seemed almost… offended that I didn't like the decor. I doubt she was the one who picked all this shit out. She didn't need to get so butt hurt over my annoyance.
I let out a frustrated grumble and looked away from her obnoxiously sad face. "I'm a guy. Of course, I wouldn't like something… so frilly." Gods, just looking at the room made my skin crawl. What I could see of the room was horrifying. The overall color scheme was purple, pink, and white. With lots of flowers, hearts, and ruffles embellishing the place. Girls like this sort of shit? Why?
Rinley took over talking to the professor while I wandered into the room. The only thing that caught my attention in the room was the ruffly purple sofas covered in cutesy pillows. I wandered over to one and lifelessly slid over the back like a defeated slug. The pillows might be horrifically ugly, but at least they were exceptionally soft as I fell into them.
The door closed, and I could hear Rinley fiddling with my bags. "The room's not that bad."
I sat up just to glare daggers at him. Come again? "It's pink and girly." The only thing the room had going for it was the layout. When you enter the room, you're greeted by a sitting area with two sofas and a coffee table. Along the back wall of the main room was an amazing bay window that looked incredibly cozy despite the horrendous pink and purple pillows. I could easily see myself reading a book there. On the right-hand side, there was a small room attached to the main one with an elaborately carved arch to provide separation. There seemed to be a little office with a desk and bookshelves. On the left-hand wall, there was a door that I assume went to the bathroom, since I wouldn't be permitted to use the public dorm bathrooms. There was another smaller archway that led to the bedroom. Besides the horrifically pink bed with lavender curtains that could be drawn around the bed, it seemed to be a nice room. Plenty of dresser space and… was that another bay window? I guess I'll get plenty of reading time while here. I wouldn't define the room as worse than mine at home, but the decor was… definitely taking away from the room's features.
Rinley went about unpacking my bags as I gawked around the room. Gosh, you would have thought he knew the layout of the room before I got it. That, or I didn't bring many clothes. "I set your schedule on the entryway table, if you want to look at it." He called over to me.
I don't really want to fucking look at it… but I guess I will. I hauled myself up off the sofa and wandered over to pick up the paper. As my eyes scanned across the document, I kicked off my shoes and wandered over to the bay window. Oh, it's just as warm as I thought it would be here.
The schedule initially highlighted the orientation that was scheduled to take place later today. Ugh, it's mandatory. Can't I fucking stay here? I don't want to go to that. We even have to go on a tour tomorrow? I'm already over this academy shit. Send me home-
Rinley came over and plucked the paper from my hands. "Stop dreading every little thing. I didn't have you look at this so you could stress." How did he… Was I producing that many pheromones?
"I don't want to go somewhere that's going to be so public."
Rinley let out a sigh as his eyes ran over the words on the paper. "You will need to eat and go to the commons areas; thus, you need to get over how people react."
"That's so much easier said than done," I grumbled as I leaned against the warm window.
"Think about it as a new opportunity. Lying around in bed all day isn't going to fix anything."
"Opportunity, my ass." I brought a pillow up into my lap so I could squish it as my gaze drifted out the window. The only thing that's going to happen is that I'll get a bit more ostracized than I already am. Society isn't going to accept a male omega. There's not a fucking chance.